Farside of Reality
by Strife543
Summary: Some FFTA2 Spoilers When the young fighter of Clan Valuk stumbles upon a girl in Targ woods, he begins to question the life he'd come to accept as a new reality, and wonders about the world he left behind. That they both left behind.
1. Chapter I: Hunt Gone Awry

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, Tactics Advance, Grimoire, Or any other words associated with the title. Yet. I'm stilling trying to win the rights for "of" and "Rift". *Cough* But yeah, all rights go to Square, like so much of my money does. Stupid awesome games :|**

**Author's Note: Another day, another story idea I just had to write down. Le sigh~ So, I was playing FFTA2 again (I started over. Again.) And got an idea I THINK is okay for a story, so I'm working on that now. As usual, progress on other stories moves to sporatic/whenever I feel like it status for the moment while I work on this, but if history has taught us nothing else it's that I'm anything but consistant. Anyway, a few notes about this story before you begin; Luso is not the main character and PROBABLY won't even be included in this story, unless I toss him in as a cameo. I dunno, but don't count on it. As for other main characters, some will be in, others maybe not. I haven't actually BEATEN the game yet, so expect some details to be off, or just completely plucked out of the air as... Well, I dunno what the actuality of it is. Finally, as I do with my Pokemon story, expect me to take certain liberties with characters from the game you're familair with - But if my reviewers of that particular story are to be believed, I'm pretty good at not screwing them up! ^^**

-- Chapter I: Hunt Gone Awry

"Karras!" Cid called back to the straggler of his group, his deep-set Revgaji voice carrying quite well across the forested terrain they crossed. "Do hurry up, hmm? You're falling behind… Again."

The fighter huffed out a breath and wiped the sweat from his brow, letting the various belts and holders upon his back run slack a bit while he gazed on ahead at his friend and leader, "Wouldn't be so bad, if I wasn't hauling weapons enough for the rest of us, wouldn't you agree?" he shot back with a mock sneer, the good natured lack of subtlety a common trait the two shared frequently, "Perhaps you'd have a care to take one or two yourself?"

Cid stroked his whiskers for a second, as though in thought, before giving the blade at his side a gentle pat, "I think not, my friend, this one'll do just fine for me. 'Sides, you wouldn't want your dear friend to hurt his poor, old back, now would you?" He gave the Hume a smile before quickly adding, "And don't think you've anyone fooled – You know as well as I; every last one of those swords are yours and yours alone."

He had a point, and a good one. Why should the burden be shared when it was Karras who chose to dredge out every one of his blades for a mission? Be they two or the six he carried, they were, in fact, his own – And it was the fighter's job to carry them all. With a smile and a sigh, Karras pulled on the straps and tightened the slack, before rushing to catch up with the others. Their mark was just ahead, and Clan Bowen would not be long in their own arrival – Klesta had avoided the two clans for the last time. 'Tonight you're dinner, you overgrown drumstick.'

The farthest of the group, Cwartz, gently pushed aside the braches and oversized leaves with his katana, remaining silent as a shadow as he led the others into the clearing that stretched before them. Targ woods had a quaint serenity about it, one that ninja rather enjoyed when Clan Valuk wasn't on a mission – Sadly, today he would gain nothing from such beautiful scenery. Giving his headband a gentle push upwards, out of his eyes, Cwartz signaled for the others to follow. According to the sources he'd uncovered in town, the great Crushatrice they hunted should've been close by.

A polar opposite to the ninja's innate stealth, the Gria Senna was anything but silent. While her companion chose to move forest's blockade with precision, silence, and care, the impatient half-dragon chopped away whatever got in her path. With an angry huff, she grabbed the ninja by the shoulder and spun him around roughly, "Where IS this thing Cwartz!?" she screamed, positively fuming at the lack of excitement the clan had run into since departing from the town limits.

Brushing off her abrasive gesture, Cwartz urged his friend to silence before moving on ahead without a word. No doubt it would only anger the Gria more, but such was the way with Cwartz. If he could not convey his meaning without words, then it simply wasn't worth his time. Flint started to come up behind the woman, when she released a long branch she'd been holding. With unexpected swiftness, it swung back, and knocked the tiny, white Moogle onto the grassy earth, giving the poor creature a small, but still smarting bruise upon his head. "Kupo!" the creature squeaked out in indignation, "Watch what you're doing!"

Senna hissed at the Moogle and moved on, leaving Flint to pick his own self up. He adjusted his hat with his meager, furred paw-like hands and tightened the scarf around his neck, before plucking the long rifle from the ground beside him. It was almost a laughable scene, the fusilier wielding a weapon that, when held up against him, was taller than even he was! But such was the way of things. Flint turned about, and waited until; at last, Cid and Karras came into view. "Kupo, why'd we bring the witch again?" he inquired, with every bit of irritation and cynicism that he could muster.

Cid merely waved it off and gestured for the creature to move ahead and keep the group together – No sense in getting more separated then they already were, after all. "We've fought with Klesta before, lest you forget. We'll need the ravager's raw power if we're to put that menace down for good this time. Just worry about your own duty and we'll get through this just fine." He instructed, turning to give the fighter a quick nod before waving him forward, taking up position at the rear of the clan.

Karras gazed upwards, trying to see the sky from between the treetops, and failing. The forest was just too thick up above them. 'This has been the first time we've gone giant chicken hunting now, and every time that damn bird gets away somehow. Even with Bowen and his crew, I just don't see how we're going to take it down. I wish Kyne and the others had come with us, maybe with all of Valuk, we'd stand a chance of knocking it off.' He thought to himself, resting one hand on the hilt closest to his right while the other kept the straps stabilized.

While he couldn't quite predict what his clan mates we're thinking, Cid knew well enough there was doubt heavy in the group… Well, all save Senna, of course. She was impetuous, and lacking any negativity that would've plagued a normal person. Karras was rational, Flint a tad too pessimistic, and Cwartz entirely too self absorbed – But when they worked together, they were all a solid group. He had chosen to bring them, specifically them, for a reason, out of the others. The request for this quest had been for a small group, one that could, hopefully, catch Klesta off guard with tight formations and swift tactics, as opposed to simply trying to overrun the beast with sheer numbers. 'I do regret leaving Kyne behind, for his wisdom is often more sound then my own, but leaving home in the care of Vargas or Flint would've been little more then madness.' He thought with a small shudder.

Of his group, those two were the biggest troublemakers, often getting into far too many situations around town – The pubs in particular – With their womanizing and frankly embarrassing goings-on. It was little mystery why Clan Valuk had only one female in its midst; the Moogle and Seeq had effectively chased off any others. The only reason Senna remained immune to their flirtatious ways was… Well, neither really had a death wish, and thus simply left her alone. Outside of those two, the only real problems that arose were when Senna broke something that she wasn't supposed to, or when Cwartz was caught meditating up on something he shouldn't have been on.

A great screech pierced the air, catching most of the group off guard and causing Senna to cry out with glee. She ripped a blade from both sheaths upon her back and started to rush forward when Cid called to her, "Hold Senna!" he cried, "Stay with the rest of us or it'll flatten you!"

Had it been any other who called, she'd have kept right on running, but Cid was different. He had brought the group together, and what's more, he'd KEPT it together even when times were tough. No one else could've brought them together like he had, and so for him, she stopped. Begrudgingly, but nevertheless. "Klesta is close." Cwartz spoke quietly, yet loud enough for the others to here, before gesturing over his shoulder, "He's just up ahead."

Karras shuffled with his blades, trying best to determine which he should use, when something unexpected happened; they'd gone in search of but a single, large Crushatrice, but instead something else found them.

Bursting out of the foliage behind the ninja, a great group of cockatrices raced headfirst towards the group, clucking and squawking for the entire forest to hear. By themselves, the tiny bird-like creatures were no threat at all, but with such numbers… Karras tore a great, two-handed sword from his back and let the rest fall free. Finally free of the burden, the fighter spun his shoulders – First the right, then the left – Before grasping the hilt in both hands and taking a stance. Cwartz had completely vanished into the trees while Senna, grinning ear to scaly ear at the prospect of bloodshed, screamed and raced towards the enemies diving headfirst into the frontrunners and hacking away.

Cid gave a nod to Flint, who took aim and fired, catching one of the monsters nearest Senna's rear hard in the side and sending it tumbling. The bullets could kill, most assuredly, but only of one's aim was straight and true, otherwise it was best to employ the standard "More bullets more damage" tactic; one that the Moogle employed more often the naught. The Revgaji leader stayed near the Moogle, cutting down any bird that dared close in too much, while Karras flung back three with one mighty swing. The attack left him winded, but at the same time, it gave him room to breath.

Cwartz appeared with a puff of smoke, and ran one of the fiends through with his blade, before giving a swift glance to his leader. "We've a problem; Klesta is gone!" he exclaimed, hi voice showing signs of panic for the first time in a long while.

This posed a problem indeed; Klesta was a monster, in every sense of the word, but stealthy it was not. There was no way it could've hidden well enough for the ninja not to detect it, and had it flown away – An act that, by all rights, made no sense considering it's massive girth – Someone would've seen it, Cwartz or otherwise. Cid ran a hand along his chin and shook his head, "Bowen'll be here soon, we'll leave the tracking to him. We've enough to deal with already – Here come some more!"

As though at his very words, even more cockatrices burst out of the trees and underbrush and lunged at the Gria, who was already up to her arms in bodies and feathers. Karras dropped his great sword and hooked his foot under another blade on the ground, flipping it up and catching it, rather flashily, in his hands. It was an odd kind of style for a sword to have, for the hilt was longer then the blade itself. In truth, the weapon more resembled a spear then an actual sword, but still somehow functioned as both rather easily. The fighter plunged the weapon forward and swung low, swiping at the legs of an approaching foe before spinning, and cutting down yet another. While Senna chose to dive headfirst into the madness, Karras had, ultimately, managed to keep every enemy at a safe distance away from him.

Yet all at once, he stopped fighting. Cid noticed first, but Flint was quick to catch on as well, "What're you doing, kupo!?" the Moogle cried, firing another shot off before giving his friend a confused glance.

Karras nodded his head off to the side, "A few of'em are running away – Look." He replied, pointing with his blade.

From somewhere in the great crowd of corpses and bloody feathers came Senna's voice, "COWARDS!"

Cid was quick to ignore the needless anger, "If they're retreating, leave them be. There's still more then enough…" The warrior swung his blade in an arc, cleaving his clucking foe in two, "…To deal with here."

But Karras could only shake his head as he broke into a run, scooping up another weapon – A short, arm length scimitar – Racing off to follow the fleeing birds. "No… No, they're after something. There's too much direction to be a mere retreat; cockatrices scatter when they're afraid." The fighter stopped at the edge of the clearing, closest to where the birds vanished, staring wide eyed at his friend and leader, "Can you hold things here?"

In truth, they could, but Cid didn't like the idea of Karras venturing off alone with Klesta still at large; he waved for Flint to follow, then ran to help the rampaging Gria. With no further hesitation, the warrior darted after the monsters with the Moogle hot on his heels.

With one arm holding the spear-like blade behind his back, Karras used his scimitar to swipe at the branches in his way, cleaving both high and low for Flint behind him to easily follow. They didn't need to go very far, for the duo came along the escapees rather quickly. It was another clearing, but not one as big as the first; the cockatrices, numbering around five or six in total, squawked and hopped around some darkened object on the ground, circling it… As though celebrating some ill-gotten prize.

Karras urged his companion to silence and quietly approached. Whatever it was they had found, the birds had not yet chosen to attack yet… It was weird. One moment, the animals were nearly insane, attacking left and right, and the next… Nearly docile, hesitating even to take a peck at what could potentially already be dead. Such a drastic change in mere seconds left much to be questioned, but like most things concerned beasts, Karras could only assume the mist had something to do with it; after all, that was usually the cause.

Flint began to take aim, but hesitated to actually fire. When Cid wasn't around, it usually fell to Karras to take command – Much to the latter's disagreement. He was the newest addition to the clan, after all, a mere novice with only a few months experience; who was he to lead such a group? "Wait for it…" The fighter whispered, ignoring the gnawing feeling of doubt he always felt when forced to make decisions beyond what affected him.

The moment the first bird took a step forward, Karras nodded for Flint to fire. The cockatrice dropped before it's barely left the grass, and instantly all eyes fell upon the pair. The fighter raced into the clearing, threw his short blade to the ground and brandished the other, taking a hard step forward and spinning about, holding the lance-like blade outwards and cutting down two others as the lunged. The remaining birds, numbering a mere pair themselves now, needed no further cajoling, and fled on their talons, vanishing into the forest with impeccable speed.

Exhaling, and falling to his knees, supported only by his blade, Karras flashed the Moogle a thumbs up before looking at what the birds had prized… And gasped.

It was a girl.

--

**Well, thoughts? As you might've noticed, the clan members all fall into certain class-types, which are stated rather obviously. And likewise, it's clear this is not the entire class either; I felt it was unwise to include so many characters right off the top, and bombard you all with that much key info to remember so... Here's hoping the moderation was well founded.**


	2. Chapter II: The Viera Girl

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, Tactics Advance, Grimoire, Or any other words associated with the title. Yet. I'm stilling trying to win the rights for "of" and "Rift". *Cough* But yeah, all rights go to Square, like so much of my money does. Stupid awesome games :|**

**Author's Note: Yeah, two chapters in one night, but I think I'm all writing'd-out for tonight. By the end of this chapter, you should get some of the basic premise of the idea that sparked this story, and if not, that's what reviews are for, right?**

-- Chapter II: The Viera Girl

The girl was a Viera; there was no mistaking the long, rabbit-like ears on her head. The Moogle entered the clearing behind Karras, resting his long rifle up on his shoulder and letting off a low whistle as he neared the unconscious girl. "Kupo! She's a cutie!" he commented with a grin.

Karras swatted at the creature, "Knock it off, she might be injured." He scolded, thought grimly and silently acknowledging the fact that she could have very well also been dead. The fighter left the blade stuck in the grass as he neared and, with some hesitation, put a hand to the side of her neck, checking for a pulse. He felt one, though it seemed very weak. With a small sigh of relief, Karras glanced back at his friend, "Go get Cid, and the others, and bring them here. We'll have to get her back to town so she can rest. It's not safe out here with all the monsters – Especially Klesta – Running about."

The Moogle took another look at the Viera before waddling off to follow the instructions. With nary a look back he vanished into the trees, both he and the fighter silently hoping Flint knew where he was going. Karras returned his attention to the girl, and looked her over. It was… Odd. Her clothing was little more then a patch-job brown leather tunic and skirt, and she had no weapon to speak of. Either she was a mage of some sort, or just incredibly foolish, for even a place as easy to traverse as Targ woods was deadly when one was ill-equipped to handle it. 'Was she kidnapped maybe?' the fighter wondered, worry returning to him as she lay there, completely still. 'No, we've not seen a trace of any others all day.'

In truth, he had another guess, but found himself unwilling to actually accept it, for it meant acknowledging something he'd most certainly rather forget. 'But the similarities are there, aren't they?' he found himself asking, before shaking such thoughts away. Nervously, Karras reached forward, and tried to brush the few strands of hair from the girl's face; Flint was right, she was cute indeed.

But this time, she stirred. Karras gulped and fell backwards, having been squatting the long while as he checked on her. With a groan, the girl sat upright, as though awakening from a long nap and rubbed at her eyes. No down seeing blurs, she squinted at him and tried to focus, "Who…" she began shakily, "Who are you? Where am I?"

Karras had spoken to Viera before, and found it to be rather pleasant most of the time. For the most part, they were a soft spoken, well mannered race, and nearly as versatile in combat as the Humes themselves. Like most of the other non-Hume races, Viera's shared traits with animals, in this case, rabbits. Their long ears and furred bodies were a clear enough testament to that, and not for the first time the fighter found himself wondering if the girl before him had the short, puffy tail to match.

'NOT the time for a thought like that!'

When he didn't answer right away, the girl repeated her questions, though this time sounding much more nervous about it all. Never once did she break eye contact, almost as though she were fearful of what he'd do if she did. "I'm Karras." He stammered out at last, "Karras Vemish, of Clan Valuk."

"Karras…" The girl repeated, her voice both soft and lively at the same time, "Valuk…" The Viera shook her head, causing her ears to wobble ever so slightly back and forth, "Clan, you said? What's that?"

Again, Karras felt that unwanted notion in his mind again, that feeling that he knew what had happened to her, but at the same time, the strong, almost overpowering urge to pretend he didn't. And once more, the fighter found himself stammering, "Clan? It's like a group. We're one of many bands of people that roam about Ivalice, doing odd jobs and quests for people in need in order to get by."

The Viera tilted her head, "Ivalice?"

There it was again; that sickening feeling. Karras struggled to keep it down, but found it harder and harder the more he talked with her – Where in Ivalice was Cid anyway? 'She can't be… Can she? There's just… No way. It's all in my head, isn't it?'

At last, the fighter pushed himself to his feet, and offered the girl a hand up as well. "My friends are coming to take us back to town – It's not far from the forest here, and you can rest a bit easier there then you could here."

He looked towards the trees as she moved to take his hand, and as the fighter watched for his allies, he failed to notice how abruptly she stopped. The Viera stared at her arm, at her hand, and began to shake. Gently, she rubbed at the one arm with the other, before staring at the other, and her quivering intensified all the more. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she fell back on her bottom and gasped, at last drawing the man's attention back to her. Karras became concerned, "Are you alright?" he asked her.

She launched herself to her feet with surprising swiftness and pushed – Rather hard – Passed him. There was a small pond of water near the edge of the clearing, and she stumbled just before reaching it. The long, floppy ears atop her head fell down into her face, causing the woman to shriek and yank them away, only adding pain into the situation. With a cry, she crawled forward and peered into the water, screaming the moment the eyes of her reflection met her own.

Cid and the others burst into the clearing the moment the screams began, the Revgaji immediately looking to his friend for answers, to which he could scarcely provide even one. Karras turned back to the Viera, and was met soundly by a powerfully flung fist to the eye. He slammed hard into the ground and held his hurt, moaning audibly as she stood over him, tears streaming down her face; "What the hell did you do to me!?" she cried, "How did you turn me into… Into… THIS!?"

Karras couldn't speak, he could barely think straight; her blow had given him a throbbing headache, nearly to the point of blacking out. Cid took a step forward, but a fiery glare from the woman stopped him in his tracks, "Stay back!" she screamed, looking around in a frenzy and ripping Karras' blade from the ground near his body, "Stay back you freaks or I swear I'll hit him with this!"

Both the words of her threat and the lack of skill with which she held the blade told Cid the girl was ill-prepared to carry out such a promise, but he found it wise not to test her despite that. The long blade was difficult to keep balanced, and the Viera found it dipping down to the ground as she struggled to keep it aloft. Nevertheless she continued to cry as she moved to point it down at Karras, who tried to look back up. The tears in his good eye made everything a blur, but still he tried to make her out despite that. "I… I didn't do anything…" He sputtered weakly, feeling both the pain and the embarrassment of the whole ordeal.

"LIAR!"

But a liar he was not. She'd been ever untouched since the fighter and Flint found the clearing; but how could one prove such a thing, for she was clearly losing touch with reality. The pain in his head began to make Karras dizzy, and he felt the world going black around him. The blade hovering over him began to lower, and he could only pray that the end would come swiftly, if it had to come at all.

All at once, though, the Viera felt a sharp blow to the back of her neck, and she collapsed to the side, the blade falling free… Only to be caught by Cwartz himself. The ninja, seeing the danger to his friend, had waited for no order, and chose the path to take all out of danger. He looked to Cid, who only nodded with some approval, as Senna, blood and feathers covering nearly every scale of her body stomped forward and eyed the girl with some indignation. She grasped one of her blades with each hand and prepared to strike, when Cid yanked her back, "Leave her be." He warned, "The danger's over for now."

The Gria was not so sure, "She nearly killed Karras though." She reminded, rather bluntly, "That's a good enough reason to off her in my books."

Cwartz moved to retrieve the other blade from the grasp as Cid knelt to pry Karras' body from the grass and haul him over his shoulder, "And that's why you don't make such decisions, Senna. The girl is merely confused, and I'm sure, in time this can be sorted out. But not here." With a heave of strain, the Revgaji pointed to the Viera, "Bring her with us."

Though skeptical, Senna nevertheless obeyed. She sheathed her swords before kneeling and grabbing the girl by the back of her tunic and hauling her off the grass. A warning glance from Cid caused her to shift the body and carry the Viera in a kinder way, but deep down the Gria knew, somehow, that this was all a big mistake.

"How's the eye?" Cid asked, entering the darkened room, one of the three they'd rented in the Targ pub. A single candle, situated in the center of the table before Karras, lit the room, but even that did little. The darkness helped his still throbbing head, and the fighter could only manage a weak, "Eh." In reply.

With a chuckle, the Revgaji took a seat across from the fighter, spun it about, and sat leaning against the back, facing him. "How's the girl?" Karras asked with some reluctance, keeping the bag of ice firmly pressed against his face. The punch had given him quite the shiner, and he was reluctant to show it off to anyone.

Cid put down the drink he'd been holding, some mixture of ground chocobo feathers and bomb essence, and gave a half-hearted shrug, "Seems to be doing better. She's in talking to Kyne right now."

That was good news. Out of the entire group, Kyne was the calmest, the most knowledgeable and, above all, the most patient. The Viera was only one or two swings shy of pure lunacy back in the woods, and Kyne was easily the best suited to deal with someone like that. The great behemoth of a Bangaa was also the powerhouse of the group, behind the heavy support the clan needed in a tight spot. In a way, Kyne was their go-to guy for just about every situation.

Much like how Cwartz and Senna were opposites, Vargas, the resident Seeq of Clan Valuk, was different from Kyne in nearly every possible way. He was loud, abrasive, greedy and, overall, not that bright. He was as tough as nails in a fight though, and it was in that way alone that he and the Bangaa shared a similairity. While those of Kyne's race were lizard like in both appearance and build, the Seeq were a race of round, pig-like beings with powerful fists and wild hairstyles. The clan itself was entirely diverse with few exceptions.

The most prominent of them being the severe lack of Viera and Nu Mou.

"You want to tell me what happened?" Cid asked, at last breaking the silence between the two – Though silence in total could hardly be counted, for it was only one room over that Senna was training. And she trained LOUDLY.

Karras sighed, "I don't even know Cid. I mean, Flint and I followed those damnable little birds and found the girl surrounded by'em. We got rid of the cockatrices, and she woke up pretty much the same time Flint took off to get the rest of you." He explained, groaning as he unintentionally pressed the ice pack too hard against his eye. After a moment, he continued, "We'd only just started talking when she completely snapped and attacked me and… Well, you know the rest."

"Indeed I do, though I'm sure you wish I didn't."

How right he was. Getting taken down by an unarmed Viera was something Vargas would no doubt be teasing the fighter about for some time to come. It made Karras sore to think about, but no less then his eye did. "I'm gonna go see how things are progressing." He finally said, rising from his seat and making for the hall.

Cid smirked and waved for him to stop, "Mind the right hook this time Karras, lest you want this story to go from funny to just plain sad."

"Up yours, boss."

Karras left the room and looked about the hall. There was a room on his right, at the end, which contained most of the clan's tools, items, weaponry and whatever else they collected and felt the need to store away like a pack rat gone insane, while to his left were a few other rooms as well as the stairs leading down to the pub itself. Most clans were welcome at near any pub or tavern in Ivalice, and as a result there were special rooms set aside for clan activity, entirely separate from those used for sleeping and the injured. Since Clan Valuk had been in Targ so long, however, the barkeep had given them additional rooms specifically for their clan, ones that belonged to them, regardless if they left or not. It made the fighter feel at least a bit more secure; knowing they always had a home to return to, regardless of time or circumstance.

The room he'd left was used for sleeping, with most of the beds against far walls with only crates and chests to separate them – Naturally a drawback to already having three rooms of their own – While the nearest room on his left, the planning and meeting room, was occupied by Kyne and the unnamed girl. Karras hesitated at the door, and considered knocking or merely walking in. On the one hand, he felt sure it was a private conversation, thus why Cid had left it entirely to Kyne, rather then remain present himself, but at the same time, the fighter truly wanted to know what had caused such a flop in the girl's personality, and so suddenly at that. He dropped his arm, and the ice pack along with it, to his side, tossing the latter to the floor as he sighed and leaned against the wall opposing the door, slouching down to the floor and crossing each arm over his upraised knees as he pondered what to do.

The door at the hall's end opened, and Flint suddenly flew by, saying not so much as a word to Karras as he darted down the hall as though his heels were aflame. Karras, however, had little chance to question why as Senna, in all her scarlet haired glory, raced into the hall shouting angrily and swearing up and down. She stomped over to the fighter and glared angrily down at him, "Did you see that little runty puffball run by? I'm gonna strangle him this time for sure!"

'Poor Flint, he never learns.' Karras thought grimly, "What'd he do?"

The Gria stomped her foot in indignation, "It's him and that damn Vargas again! Every time those two get together, they cause all kinds of hell for the rest of us! I swear, I don't know why Cid puts up with them…"

"Still waiting on that answer here."

Senna shot him a glare, "The little prick shot me in the… Well, he shot me – In the MIDDLE of training! You do NOT shoot a lady when she's training Karras, you just DON'T do that!"

Karras couldn't resist the urge to ask, "Where'd he shoot you this time, Senna?"

She chose not to answer, instead moving on down the hall to continue the search on her own, but from the way she rubbed at her bottom every step, it didn't take a genius to learn the answer to his question. With a small chuckle, Karras shook his head, as the door before him opened and a crimson scaly head stuck out into the hallway, "What ISSS all that ruckusss out here?" Kyne hissed, his voice as calm and quaint as ever, despite all the havoc going on just outside the door.

The fighter waved off down the hall, "The usual." He replied, equally as withdrawn. The Bangaa looked down at him for a moment, before glancing back over his shoulder and stepping out into the hall, gently shutting the door behind him.

Karras rose from the floor, "How's she doing?" he asked, waving behind the lizard-like being, who only shook his head.

"It'sss… Very complicated. But of anyone here, I feel you ssshould be the one I relate thisss too." He began, "Do you recall what you told me when we firssst met?"

Karras didn't like where the conversation was heading, "Yeah… Why?"

"Her ssstory is remarkably sssimilair to yoursss."

And that nagging feeling returned like a searing pain, and it physically hurt Karras to face it now, nearly as much as his eye. 'Thought that was done with…' he thought glumly, before facing his friend again, "How similar?"

The Bangaa hesitated, and looked thoughtful, as though trying carefully to choose his next words before actually speaking them. "Nearly all of what ssshe told me isss asss you dessscribed, sssave one key detail." He finally replied, holding up a single, scaly claw to further demonstrate his point, "The girl claimsss ssshe isss not from Ivalice, but rather ssshe ssspoke of a place like you did, all thossse monthsss ago. But when you came here, you didn't change."

The note caught the fighter's attention, "Change?"

With a sorrowful shake of his head, the Bangaa seemed pained to continue, "Though I don't know how to explain it, nor how to accept it… The girl wasss not a Viera, but a Hume, like you."

--

**Hmm, curious, no? Well, not hard to figure out what Karras was trying to hide from himself, but it does raise the question of -WHY-, and also leaves one to question just how the mysteirous girl changed from a hume to a viera, or even if thats true in the first place. So many questions, so little answers!**


	3. Chapter III: Mysty Revelations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, Tactics Advance, Grimoire, Or any other words associated with the title. Yet. I'm stilling trying to win the rights for "of" and "Rift". *Cough* But yeah, all rights go to Square, like so much of my money does. Stupid awesome games :|**

**Author's Note: It really bugs me how I have so many fraggin stories running around, with half finished chapters just sitting there waiting to be finished, and how thats not likely to be friggin' fixed anytime soon cause, yeah, I'm a procrastinator. I somehow doubt I still have the loyal readerbase I once did, for this or any other story, but at this point, that's well deserved. ESPECIALLY since this chapter was almost finished anyway, so by all rights it should've been done months ago, and I was just too dense to realize it. Ugh. Anyway, here is chapter 3, hope you enjoy it. If there's anyone even still out there.**

-- Chapter III: Mysty Revelations

"What?" Karras asked with a gasp, unable to think of anything else to say to the bizarre statement.

"That is…" Kyne was quick to add, "If her claim is to be believed. Personally, all this business of "another world" leaves a bad taste in my mouth…" the Bangaa nearly spat in disgust before shaking his head, "But her story is so much like your own, it's hard to write it off as mere coincidence."

The fighter was dumbfounded – The girl, not truly a Viera? He'd heard a lot of strange things in Ivalice, and more then a fair share of them he'd very much doubted were true but… This was beyond all that. He himself was not from Ivalice, rather a world where such fantastic beings like Moogles, Bangaas and all the others were little more then fairytales or fodder for stories – A world where, if one walked about with even half the blades he did, he'd be locked away before noon hour – But even to from all of that, this was unbelievable.

After all, if she had changed in coming here, why hadn't he?

"No." Karras replied flatly, holding out his hands before him, "No, there's just no way that's possible."

The Bangaa only shrugged and sought to move passed him, down the hall, "Speak to her yourself then, and perhaps you'll learn more then I. But for myself, I need to rest; talking to one such as herself is… Draining, to say the least."

With that, Kyne left Karras to his own thoughts, taking a few steps down the hall before entering the resting room and shutting the door behind him. The fighter hesitated in the hall a few moments, and sure enough a loud, yet somehow still subtle "thump" filled the air, and soon after, the gentle hiss-snoring that was Kyne's slumber. Karras glanced at the door; his eye hurt once more.

'Guess it wouldn't hurt just to talk to her… So long as I keep my distance, anyway.' He turned the handle and pushed the door open. The room was similar to the others, at least in design and size, but its contents were far different. While the resting room contained mostly beds, cots, couches and whatever else Clan Valuk used during its downtime, and the storage room full of… Well, junk, truly, this room was by far the most spacious, containing only one large table, some chairs and benches situated around it, and more then a few maps and charts atop the former. The girl sat on the stool farthest the door, her back turned to him as he entered with her head downcast.

As Karras shut the door behind himself, she turned; an excited smile turned to disappointment and embarrassment when her bright, blue eyes fell upon him. The fighter frowned ever so slightly, but nevertheless gave an acknowledging nod of his head, "Expecting someone else?"

Sheepishly, the girl nodded, "That nice liz… Bangaa, yes. Kyne was his name, wasn't it? He's a… Very good listener, I wanted to thank him for that."

She was very well spoken, the fighter noted, and her tone and way of speaking spoke of a noble upbringing… Which made it seem all the more unlikely she was from anywhere but Ivalice. 'Don't care what my memories keep telling me…' he thought angrily to himself, 'Don't care what all those stupid pictures in my head say; I'm from HERE. There is NO other world…'

The girl continued to stare at him, as if awaiting an answer. At last, Karras gestured with a thumb over his shoulder, "Kyne went to go lay down, he was pretty tired… Not sure why." He lied, not at all sure why, "I'm sure you can thank him later, anyway."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded her head. Karras moved closer, coming to the side of the table and leaning with his back against it. Arms crossed, he glanced over at her, "Pretty wild story though, from what I hear." She looked confused, so he continued, "Kyne filled me in."

Again, the girl looked embarrassed – The tiniest bit of red forming on her cheeks, "He… Is he telling everyone?"

While normally Karras took situations like this as a timely excuse for playful mischief, or sarcasm, somehow it didn't feel quite right to him here. Instead, he shook his head, "No, just me. Guess it's 'cause I was the one who found you, or something." Again he lied, but this time, he had a reason, "You really believe everything you told him though? Sure you just don't have a bump on the head or something?"

He was grasping at straws, Karras knew, but it was better then admitting what he feared was true. Sadly, the girl did not agree, not even in the slightest; instead, she seemed insulted, "I'm not making things up, if that's what you mean." She said sternly, sharply rising from her seat and taking a heavy step towards him, "I KNOW I'm not from Ivalice, and I CERTAINLY know I'm not a… A rabbit!"

"Viera."

"Whatever!" The girl threw up her arms in exhaustion and collapsed onto the bench behind her. She sighed deeply into her hands and looked sadly up at the fighter, "I'm not asking… For anyone to believe me, for I know it's hard to believe." She tried again, gently reaching up and tugging upon one of her long, furry ears, "But I KNOW I didn't have these yesterday."

"Funny, I can't seem to picture you without'em."

The Viera glared back, "You're not funny."

Karras only shrugged, "So, if you're not from Ivalice, and you're not a Viera, then just who are you, anyway? How'd you get here from… Well, Not-Ivalice?" He asked of her, before leaning in that much closer, "And just how did you change in the first place?"

Again, the Viera sighed, "I… I don't know. I can barely remember anything… I remember a school – My school, just down the street from my home – And the library and…" She shut her eyes tight, trying to remember, "And this strange book… I'd never seen anything like it before, and then…"

"When you opened it, it asked for a name…" The fighter whispered in disbelief; her story checked out, for it was the same as his own.

Karras had spoken too low, for the Viera went on without hearing his words, but her own explanation matched, near word for word, what he had said. "I don't normally write in books – Mine or anyone else's, truly – But something just… Drew me to this one. I felt pressed to pen my name, and when I did…." She looked sad, as she looked back up at him, "When I did, everything went dark, and I was here… Like this."

The fighter slammed his fist into the table, causing some of the rolled charts to roll and fall to the floor, while shaking the few stray glasses and mugs here and there. The girl jumped, as well, caught off guard by the sudden action. Karras held his hurt hand, and cursed under his breath, "Can't be true… It just can't be…"

"Are you alright?" the Viera asked, nervousness clear in her voice as she slowly rose to back away from him.

With a sigh of his own, he nodded, "I'm fine I just… My hand itched, that's all."

… What a horrible lie.

But she only nodded; clearly, this was just uncomfortable for her now. "What's your name?" the fighter finally asked, "I never did catch it back in the forest."

Again, fear and reluctance reared their ugly heads, for the girl seemed far more intent on getting away from Karras, then she did making friends with him. The fighter waited, saying nothing more, until at last she spoke. "Myst." She replied, hardly above a whisper, "Myst Ghalander."

The name seemed almost familiar to him, but the feeling was fleeting at best. After all, there were billions upon billions of names like that in Ivalice, so it stood to reason one like that wouldn't have been terribly unique. Karras took a seat and leaned his arms up on the table, watching her for a moment before lightly smiling; "If you're that afraid of me, I can go, eh?"

All at once, Myst stopped backing away, and looked down, almost ashamedly so, at herself. "Sorry…" she uttered with a quick bow of her head, "I'm just… This is all so strange to me. It was hard enough speaking with the liza… The Bangaa. I guess it just took a lot out of me, that's all." She took the seat opposite him and stared back.

They sat in silence, the two of them, for several minutes, each trying to decipher the others thoughts, until, at last, Karras broke the stillness of the room. His hand rubbed against his eye as the pain kicked in again, once more reminding him that, indeed, he had been struck, and yes, pain still hurt.

Myst frowned, "That's… That's my fault, isn't it?" she asked, somewhat innocently, as the girl leaned forward to get a better look. Karras was reluctant to move his hand, and only watched her as she stared curiously at the blackness of his eye.

With some coaxing, he moved his hand away, and the Viera shook her head at her handiwork. "I'm sorry Karran… I didn't realize I'd… My goodness!" she suddenly gasped, jumping up to her feet and covering her mouth with each hand, "I never apologized for hitting you, did I? Or… Or for screaming at you, or threatening you, or blaming you or… Or anything…" A tear formed in her eye, though she was quick to wipe it from existence, "Truly, Karran, I'm sorry…"

The fighter could only stare bluntly at her; "Karras."

"What?"

"My name." he told her, "It's Karras, not Karran.

There was a silence, and a long one at that, before the two shared a smile; there was no cause for laughter, but still it lingered. Myst brushed her hand over his eye gently, with the same tender and care a mother would show a child, and she shook her head with embarrassment. "Really…" Karras murmured, trying to shoo her away, "It's fine; it'll heal. Senna's given me much worse…"

The name meant nothing to the Viera, and neither did she move away. She stared deeply at the blackness around the eye and focused, focused hard. Something deep down inside her was telling her what to do; it was telling her to do this. Without warning, she pressed her hand to his face as a greenish aura enveloped it; both the girl and Karras himself yelped in surprise, but the moment she pulled back, she gasped even more.

His eye was completely healed; not even the slightest bruising showed now.

Having felt the pain melt away, the fighter touched his face; nothing. He didn't need to check; somehow he just knew what she'd done – There'd be no mark, not now. Myst could heal; she could use magic, but from the look on her face, she didn't have the slightest idea _how_. The Viera collapsed into a chair and stared wide-eyed at her hands; how had she done that? "What did I do?"

"Magic."

She glared up at him, "Don't mock me Karras; there's no such thing."

He tilted his head, "With walking, talking lizards and morphing bunny girls strolling about, _that's_ what's unbelievable to you?"

She was ushered to silence by the comment; he raised a good point. If she could change, why couldn't the boundaries of reality too. Where she'd come from, the true world – As she saw it – There was no magic; it was just a fairytale, the things kids dreamt about when their everyday lives got to boring to handle. But here… Was it really real? Karras, unsure of what to do with himself, folded his arms, "It's a _type_ of magic, if you want to get technical. Anything healing-related is classified as _White Magic_, while attacking spells like those that use the elements are _Black Magic_. There's others too, of course but… Ah…" He shrugged one shoulder, "I'm not really an expert; Kyne would be the one to ask. He knows everything."

And ask she would, but then what? If this really was a whole new world, what would she do? What _could_ she do? Myst's hands began to shake at the thought as the tears formed anew; Karras noticed almost instantly. "What's the matter?"

"I'm really stuck here… Aren't I?"

She was, and they both new it. Karras had done everything he could to drown out the memories – The nightmares – Of that other world, but some part of him still accepted it as a truth; and that part of him knew there was no way to get back. He hadn't looked for it, not at all, but if there was a way, he'd have found it. 'That's just the kind of luck I have; to find everything I want, only to have it taken away… Again. At least this time, it's for keeps.'

Myst continued to stare at him, and the fighter realized he was stalling again. With a halfhearted sigh, Karras nodded his head, "It would seem so but… Ah, it's not so bad."

'Very reassuring, Karras, nicely done.'

Shaking her head, the girl leapt to her feet, arms waving in protest, "But… But no! I don't want to be here! I can't be here! I don't know anyone, or anything about this place… This Ivalice…" She started to cry; it would've been cute, if it wasn't so sad, "I don't want to die here…"

She'd already come close back in the forest, so it was pointless for him to try to tell her it was impossible, but all the same, there had to be _something_ he could say to cheer her up. Karras raised his hand, but quickly lowered it; despite her overly unneeded apology, he was still nervous about getting too close – After all, the girl could hit, and hit hard! "You won't die." He said sternly; it was enough to get her attention; Karras pointed a thumb at himself, "Just stick with us; Clan Valuk will look after you."

If there was a cheesier, lamer, and downright creepier way to word his welcome, Karras was damned if he could think of it, but it was still the best he could do; all Myst wanted to do was feel sad about it all, but the fighter could see only the good. Ivalice, in every way, was better then his old life. His former life – The life he'd forgotten. 'This life that never existed.'

Myst stared at her delicate, furred hands in wonderment as she thought about his words. "If there's a way to get home… Will you help me?"

The girl was determined to get back, no matter what; that alone was enough to depress the fighter, but he could do no different then agree. Karras nodded his head, and gestured towards the door, "Naturally, I'll have to run it by the boss, but he's yet to say no to me yet; so you're as good as in." Cid was a good, kind hearted soul – The best around – There was no way he'd refuse her. As well, the girl could use magic, and since Waltz was long, long gone, Clan Valuk was sorely lacking in that department.

Karras moved to stand before her, and held out one arm, raising it at the elbow, and holding it just before her chest. "Here." He said, indicating she should do the same; befuddled by the gesture, she did a moment later. "In Clan Valuk, we don't shake hands." It was a simple explanation, but the most meaningful things never required words; this was such a thing. Karras moved his arm, slightly, and she followed suit; the two brushed their wrists against one another for a moment, before the arms slid back. The fighter smirked, "Welcome to Ivalice."

--

**Idly; I'd like to take a moment to answer a question someone emailed me about a long time ago - Since I don't like to review my own stories for doing that, I'll leave it here; they asked exactly why there was no Nu Mou in Clan Valuk (There wasn't any Viera either, but as you can see, that was accounted for) Short answer; I don't like them. Long answer; My liking of the Mu Mou spieces is non existant. Seriously, I never much cared for the race in FFT, and that didn't change for the sequal, so I sure wasn't going to waste my time writing about a character from a race I cared NOTHING about here. If this bothers anyone, sorry, but it's not going to change~ That said, there will be a storyline reason behind it, I'm not just going to leave it blank :P**


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